The New Wave of Young

Youth is a state of mind. We all want to look young forever. No matter what our age is, we can always express ourselves through fashion. Marc Jacobs once said, ‘’ clothing is a form of self-expression – there are hints about who you are in what you wear’’. Every area in thefashion industry is now influenced by culture of the young that is very rebellious with strong sense individuality. It is not only appealing to youths, but it also extends its appeal across generations. As a means of self-discovery, teenagers are more open and flexible to changes, which is can lead to fashion trends without borders. Inspiration can be taken from anywhere in the world with the rise of social media. The youth of today have unlimited access to information and can follow current events globally. The young and outspoken creatives are now more socially aware about the accepted and unaccepted norms, resulting in fashion trends that are shocking and pushing societal boundaries with its gender fluid styling.

Taking a break from the modern world, teenagers also have the ability to look into history and inspire each other by creating new trends that is familiar but fresh. From doing so, they implementing characteristics from the past and redeveloping them to create something new and original, resulting in the current fashion trends that are inspired by the ‘70s look. Throughout the trend you can see uses of bold graphics, mixed
proportions, oversized silhouettes, highly saturated colors, deconstructed surfaces, and the clear visual statements of typography. Therefore, street wear is becoming a popular trend to teenagers.

This look to the past helps push the fashion world, which is often driven by certain nostalgia. The rise of disco in the late 1970’s still has a great impact in the current trends. The youth of today are channeling their energy through music and clubbing. They begin to look back and take inspiration from legendary nightclub scenes, such as Studio 54 in Manhattan in 1977. Fashion designers are also aware of this. Taking references from the euphoric disco club culture, high fashion street wear designers have successfully brought back a nostalgic feel to their designs. Take a look at the Yeezy’s stretch led, body con design, which is also influenced by the 80’s disco era. The dropped shoulders and the elongated sleeves of Vetements design are reflections of the 1986 skate culture. Designs from Marc Jacobs feel very retro with its technical sportswear, eccentric hues, and
bizarre pattern that gave us bold graphic messages of gender fluidity and veering from
traditional ideas. Classic pieces are updates with a youthful twist, resulting in an avant-garde look that is masculine and cool. The trend of classic typography that started in the 80’s is making a good comeback. Young souls are hunting for fashion brands that can showcase a strong identity through typography in logos and prints. Fashion is switching gears, and the underground club kids are back on the dance floor.